Improvement in railroad-car ventilators



W.y o'. BETTS. RAILROAD `GAR VENTILATOR.

Patente-d Jan. 17, 1871.

' www Letters Patent No. 110,950, dated January 17, 1871; antedated. January 7, 1871-.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAlLRAD-CAR VENTILATOR-S.

The Schedule referred to ln these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To allavhom it may concern Bc it known that I, WILLIAM C. BnTTs, M. D., of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Ventilator; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompany-'ing drawing forming part of this specification.

Figure l is a side view of one of my improved veutilators as attached to a'car-l'iody.V

Figure 2 is a' top view of the same, the top plate being removed.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal-section of the same, taken through the line x z, fig. 2.

Figure 4 is an end view of the same. l

Similar letters of reference indicate correspomling parts. This invention relates to car-ventilators, and consists in a. series of bent or U-shaped spring' plates, which are provided with adj listing-bars whereby they may be adjusted to regulate the size of the spaces or openings between them; and

The invention also consists in combining with such plates perforated swinging valves or partit-ions, which are designed to arrest the dust that may accmnmulate inthe angle ofthe plates. l

The construction of `the plates also enables them to change the direction o t' the entering current-s of air, so that they may be discharged against the body of the air within thc car in the same direction in which the car is moving.

The ventilator may be placed in. the sides or to'p ot' the car, and may be placed in the openings in which the ordinary ventilators are placed. The outer side of the ventilators may project, and the inner side be ilush with wall of the car-body; or the inner side may project and the outer side he flush with the surface of the wall, or both sides may hellush or hoth project slightly', the latter arrangement being preferable The curved plates B are designed to form recesses to receive the dust stopped by tbc perforated valve plates l" and change the direction of thc entering cnrrents of air, so that they may bedischarged against the body of air within the carin the same direction in which the car is moving. But the especial reason for the inward extension of the plates B is to adapt the ventilator for use as au outletfventilator when the car is moving in the opposite direction.

A is the base-plate of the ventilator, to which 'are attached the middle parts of the plates B, the ends of each succeeding plate overlapping the sides of the preceding plate, as shown in iig. 2.

The plates B are made elastic,so that when left free they mayspring outward and leave a space be- D are bars which vextend 'along the outer sides of the'curved plates B, and the rear ends ot' which are pivot-ed to the rear plate B near its rear end, or to some other convenient supports.

The fprward ends ofthe bars D pass through keepers attached to the outer sides of the endsv ofthe forward plate B, so that, by adjusting the forward ends of ghe barsDat-a--grcater 'or lesser-distance apart, the size of thepassages between the plates B may be adj usted at will, or said passages may he entirely closed when desired. .l

The ends of the bars Dareeomlected and heldin position by the catch or connecting-rods E, which are pivoted to the end of the outer bar, and are made of wire sufficiently heavy, andhent into loops at suitable or equal distances apart, which loops serve as catches to catch upon the forward end of t-he inner bar, as shown in figs. 2 and 4. l

The catch or connectinglrod E also serves as a handle -for operating the outer bar in adjusting the. pla-tes B. The connecting-bar E may be used with advantage for various other purposes, as, for instance, for connecting and operating the slats of my windowvcntilator, or the slats of a window-hliml.

'lhe'bars D may bc extended the entire length of the. car, so that all Ithe ventilators upon.. each side of the oar may be adjusted atonce and by the same movement of the said bars.

F are valves madeJ of finely-perforated sheet-metal, and hinged, at their rear edges, to the middle part ot' the concave sides of the plates Byown in rigs. 2 and 3.

The valves Fare provided wi -1 stops" f1 :attached to the concave sides of the outer parts of the plates B- to'prevent said valves opening outward so far that the current of entering air cannot get behind the said valves and close them. l 1

The valves F are also lprovided with lstops f2, attaehed t-o the middle part of the convex sides ot' the plates B, for the valves F to bear against and prevent them from swinging any farther inward.

- By this construction the entering air closes the valves F upon the stops 7g and holds them there, the i said valves stopping nearly all thedust, and, at the x same -time, dividing the air up and preventing its blowing into the ear in a strong-current. G is the top plate of the ventilator, which I prefer i diend nes @sind dattie,

to make detachable, so that it may be removed to allow the collected dust to be conveniently removed from the ventilator.

In applying my ventilators to ears, the ventilators upon the two sides of the cars are arranged in reversed positions, so that the ventilators upon one or the other v side of the cars may always have their openings for ward, the openings of the other set of ventilators being rearward.

The set of ventilators with their openings forward always serve as ingress-ventilators, and the set with their openings rearward serve as egressventilators.

By this construction and arrangement, as the ear moves forward either end foremost, its motion causes the air to pass into the outer ends of the passages between the plates B- which air forces the valves F back against the stops yz, and, passing through said valves., enters the car. As the car moves forward the forward movement of the egress-ventilators through the air tends to form a vacuum at the outer ends of the passages between the plates B, which causes the air to vpass out from the interior of the ear.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination of a series of curved elastic plates B with lthe bottom plate A and top plate G, to form an adjustable ventilator, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The pivoted perforated plates or valves Il1 and stopsff2 in combination with the curved elastic plates B, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The pivoted bars D, in combination with the free ends of the curved 4elastici plates B, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the vpurpose set forth.

4. The wire catch or connection-rod E, constructed substantially as herein shown and described, and for' the purposes set forth.

5. An improved car-ventilator, vformed by the conibination of the base-plate A, top platel G, curved elastic plates B, pivoted perforated valve-plates Il, stops fl f2, adjusting-bars 1), and catch or connectingrod E, with each other, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

rIhe above specification of my invention signed by me this 25th day of May, 1870.

WILLIAM C. BTTS.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. Maen, J AMES, T. GRAHAM. 

